Open-meeting laws should apply to NSAA

LB1021 is one of those proposals that seems like a no-brainer.

State Sen. Bill Avery's bill would require the Nebraska School Activities Association to abide by open-meetings and public-records law.

You mean it doesn't already?

No, the NSAA is a private, nonprofit corporation and, as such, is not required to open its records for public scrutiny, publish advance notice of meetings or conform to other state requirements.

Yes, the NSAA is accountable to the schools it serves, and they, in turn, operate on taxpayer funds, but the state Attorney General's Office agrees the group does not have to comply.

Why not? Any hint that someone is hiding something from the taxpayers who fund an entity only breeds suspicion and mistrust of that entity. Add to that the conflicts and pressure associated with athletic activities, and the need for a public airing of opinions seems obvious.

A bill to create an educational "SWAT" team seems a little heavy-handed to us, however.

Sen. Greg Adams's LB1007 would allow "intervention teams" created by the state education commissioner to have full access to schools deemed "underperforming."

It would be up to the Nebraska Board of Education to create a performance index that would include graduation rates and test scores. The intervention teams would then go to schools that didn't meet minimum performance levels.

Yes, local schools need to be up to snuff, and state aid to education provides justification for seeing that those tax dollars are put to good use.

But surely there are other mechanisms already in place that can be used to accomplish the same goals without more state intervention.